Music City Munching

Nashville native and country music queen Kitty Wells may not have known the answer when she warbled “how far is heaven, when can I go?” in her 1950s hit, but New Yorkers can travel the 900 miles or so to her heavenly hometown with ease. Between American, Delta, Southwest and United offering daily non-stop flights from JFK, LaGuardia and Newark, it’s no wonder that New York is one of Music City’s top three travel markets. And nowadays the city’s food scene is as lively as its honky tonks. Take time to visit any or all of these outstanding outposts for local cuisine during your next trip.

James Beard Award-winning chef Sean Brock takes things low and slow at his Rutledge Hill restaurant, and you’ll want to kick back to fully enjoy the fruits of his labor. House-made charcuterie, preserves and pickles complement a larder full of Southern produce and proteins to produce contemporary versions of classics. Take the sassafras-glazed pork ribs with pickled peaches and Rev Taylor butter beans or deviled eggs with pickled okra and trout roe. Phone: 615-256-6565 | Address: 37 Rutledge StClick to go

Henrietta Red

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After getting her degree at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park and doing stints at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Per Se and other renowned NY locales, Nashville native Julia Sullivan returned home. She opened an American restaurant in the Germantown neighborhood with seasonal specialties and an oyster bar. Humble toast may come adorned with smoked mackerel, roasted Chinese cabbage, yogurt, capers and shallots and the Sea Island red peas with sunflower tahini and sunchoke chips. Vegans will find plenty to love alongside omnivorous options like littleneck clams with shrimp broth, fingerling potatoes and pork sausage. Phone: 615-490-8042 | Address: 1200 4th Ave NClick to go

Don’t let the casual vibe at this East Nashville favorite fool you. The lunch menu may be heavy on sandwiches, but there are excellent and innovative ingredients between that bread. A smoked-trout melt on sourdough is dressed with gouda, roasted tomato and Gifford’s bacon, and a baguette comes filled with fried avocado, sour mango aioli and pickled Fresno chiles. Dinner is only slightly more serious with choices like a chicken-fried cauliflower steak with coconut gravy and pickles or a rabbit cavatelli with mole sauce, mushrooms and blistered tomato. Phone: 615-226-3322 | Address: 902 Main StClick to go

Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery

Most restaurants in Nashville have serious cocktail game, but it’s still worth visiting spirits at the source. In the late 1800s, Charles Nelson’s distillery was the largest producer of Tennessee whiskey in the US. After his death, his wife Louisa closed the doors during prohibition in 1909. In 2009, their great-great-great grandsons, Charlie and Andy, opened a distillery on the original land and today produce Nelson’s First 108 Tennessee Whiskey as well as Belle Meade Bourbon. The good news: varieties of these Southern elixirs are available in both large and small bottles at the Nashville International Airport so you can take home a taste of Tennessee. Phone: 615-913-8800 | Address: 1414 Clinton St Click to go